Captain
by Mayle
Summary: A prompt from Tumblr that has been going around. I wanted to finally put a fic to the gif set. So here goes: Steve Rodgers wakes up after 70 years and the one person on his mind is no longer around. Or is he?


Steve stared down at his drink, trying hard not to make eye contact. He knew the point of this sort of place was to talk to people and maybe go home with someone, but he just couldn't bring himself to it. The only reason he was there in the first place was because of Tony.

_"Listen, Steve," _he'd said in a sad, sympathetic voice, "_I know you miss him and I know that no one else will ever be the same as him, but you can't spend your life waiting for someone who isn't going to show up. I'm sorry, Steve, but he is dead and I think he'd rather you had fun and met a nice guy rather than just sitting around bumming about it. As your friend, I insist you go to a club tomorrow night and try to meet some guys."_

Steve had of course laughed at him and playfully agreed. Though his insides screamed "NO!". Something felt completely wrong about being a place like this without…._him_. Without his captain, this place had no meaning. Sure, Steve would openly admit to being gay, but that didn't mean he wanted any attractive guy there was. He didn't want a guy he met here or anywhere. He wanted the guy he already met. He wanted Jack.

He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and took a shuddering breath. _Relax, Steve, relax. It's not going to do any good crying about it. Calm down. It's not as though you being sad is going to make him magically appear here._

"Hello, Captain," a cheerful voice greeted him.

He leapt backwards from the bar, sending the stool flying as he ripped his hands from his eyes. And there he was. Just as though nothing had happened. As though he wasn't dead. As though Steve hadn't been frozen for almost 70 years. Just standing there, grinning that big, stupid grin that always made Steve's stomach flip-flop.

"Did ya miss me?" the man asked teasingly.

"You-you're dead!" Steve near shouted at the impossibility that lay before his eyes.

The man frowned at him.

"Huh, too bad no one told me before this!" he laughed, his mock-frown immediately turning into that huge grin.

Steve couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of his lost love.

"How are you here?" he questioned, moving forward cautiously.

The tall man's smile turned rather sad for a moment.

"I'm a fixed point in time," he answered heavily, "I can't die."

Steve frowned. _Fixed point in time? What is he talking about?_

"I know, I know," the light voice was back, "It's weird. But guess what? It's also totally convenient. Because I get to be here with my favorite captain!"

Steve blushed and turned his eyes away; searching for the stool he'd sent flying. He gently picked it back up and slid onto it, avoiding the gaze of the man who he had thought was dead. He stared back into his drink, wondering just how many more crazy things were going to happen in his life. Feather-light fingers floated down, stopping to rest delicately on his arm. He turned his eyes up to the owner who looked back with crystal clear blue eyes.

"Jack," Steve said in answer to the soulful gaze, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jack grinned at him, that huge, brilliant grin and Steve knew for certain he had his captain back.

"How did you even know where to find me?" he asked, voice and eyes filled with wonder.

Jack threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh.

"I know this man," he said, laughter still ringing in his voice, "He's sort of in the business of knowing where everyone is and what they're doing. He told me that you needed me and here I am."

"I'd like to thank him sometime," Steve replied.

Jack laughed again.

"You'll never change, will you?" he giggled, "Always so polite."

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Well, not all of us can be obnoxious like you," he bit back lightheartedly.

Jack just kept grinning, as though his face knew no other expression.

"So what are you doing here just sitting at the bar alone?" jack probed, "Shouldn't you be picking up hot guys?"

"I wanted to," Steve replied honestly, "But I knew I loved you too much to even try."

Jack's grin fell from his face in shock.

"You what?" he demanded.

Steve blinked at him owlishly.

"I love you too much to even try?" he tried, unsure of what exactly Jack was asking.

"Steve, you barely knew me," Jack said, his face suddenly filled with confusion and sadness.

"I knew you enough," Steve answered defensively, "You were sweet and kind and funny. You weren't afraid of anything and you were the bravest person I knew. What else is there to know?"

"I don't know, maybe that I can't die?" jack offered critically, "Or that I'm a time traveler? Did you think of that?"

"But that's not who you are!" Steve insisted, "Those are things that don't matter. I'm actually 90 years old and the perfect soldier, but that doesn't mean that you need to know that to love me. It's the heart that matters, not what you do or where you've been."

Jack stared at Steve, who glared defiantly back at him for several moments until Jack's mouth twitched up into a small smile.

"And to think, I haven't even kissed you," Jack said, voice filled with mirth and awe.

"I don't need to feel your lips to know it would be the most amazing feeling ever," Steve answered, turning away and looking back to his drink.

He suddenly felt very, very tired.

Several moments of silence later something damp and fleshy touched to his cheek, sending waves of electricity through his body. He gasped slightly and turned to Jack who was grinning; his head leaned towards Steve's cheek. Steve was about tired of that grin. He wanted to stop its taunting once and for all. So he leaned forward and kissed his lips to the grinning mouth.

Jack stiffened in shock, but quickly melted into Steve's gentle lips. It was an intense moment. A moment that no one could have foreseen. It was a moment that the universe could not have stopped, even if it wanted to. The lips of two of the greatest captains to ever walk the Earth were pressed together in a soft, chaste kiss and no one, anywhere could stop the melting of two into one.


End file.
